The Northumberland Strait is located on the east coast of Canada. It separates Prince Edward Island from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The 12.7 kilometer (7.9 mile) path from Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick to Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island is shortest route across the Strait.
The Confederation Bridge spans the Northumberland Strait at its narrowest crossing. The bridge is 12.9 km (8.1 miles) long, including the approaches. The bridge, which curves, does not take the shortest path across the Strait.
The Strait's shallow depths lend to warm water temperatures in summer months, with some areas reaching 25°C (77°F). Consequently the Strait is reportedly home to the warmest ocean water temperatures in Canada, and some of the warmest ocean water temperatures on the Atlantic coast north of Virginia.
All successful swims to date have been completed between July 15 and September 6. Temperatures between mid-July and early September typically range between 18-22°C (64-72°F).
Jellyfish can be a challenge in the Northumberland Strait during the summer months. According to the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, only five of the 56 species of jellyfish that occur in Atlantic Canadian waters are harmful to humans. Lion's Mane jellyfish are dominant, with moon jellies present to a lesser extent. Portuguese man-o-war are rare in Atlantic Canada, and only get blown into Atlantic Canadian waters by the gulf stream at the end of summer.
At the height of their season, the frequency of jellyfish can be overwhelming, and can be as high as one jellyfish for every 4 square metres. Jellyfish seem to concentrate at the shore, and begin to die out during late July.
Fishermen claim that the area of the Strait near the Confederation Bridge is too shallow for sharks, and state that they have never seen them in the vicinity. (Near the bridge, the Strait only reaches a depth of 26 metres.) However, Fisheries and Oceans Canada documents the presence of Great White Sharks in the Northumberland Strait.